Tuning In: Bruins' radio voice Dave Goucher high on youngsters

Friday

May 31, 2013 at 6:00 AM

Bruins radio announcer Dave Goucher is a big believer in honing your craft in the minor leagues. He spent seven years in the minors, and he has no problem with defensemen Torey Krug and Matt Bartkowski playing nearly the entire regular season with the Bruins' farm club in Providence even though they have played so well for Boston in the playoffs.

“Players like Bartkowski and Krug,” Goucher said, “benefitted from playing all season in Providence and playing in every situation and playing in the playoffs down there. They've come up and played their game. They can both skate. Both have good vision of the ice. They can skate or move the puck, whichever is required. They've got youth on their side.”

Goucher credited Krug and Bartkowski with providing the Bruins with a shot of adrenaline in the semifinals against the Rangers.

“The Bruins all of a sudden look like a faster team to me,” Goucher said.

Veteran defensemen Andrew Ference is skating and Wade Redden is back from his injury, but Goucher expects the Bruins to stick with Krug and Bartkowski for now, and he thinks they should.

Rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton had to play in Boston this season or return to junior hockey, but Goucher wishes he could have spent at least part of the year in Providence to gain experience.

“Whoever a young player might be,” Goucher said, “I'm a big fan of spending some time in the minors and working your way up. It's such a huge adjustment of playing against teenagers in junior hockey to playing against men in the pro game in the NHL.”

Goucher believes Tyler Seguin, and years ago Phil Kessel, would have benefitted from playing in Providence after coming out of junior hockey.

After playing only one regular-season game for Boston this season, Krug scored four goals as the Bruins eliminated the Rangers in five games in the conference semifinals. Krug was called up to play in that one regular-season game because the Bruins thought they had agreed with Calgary to include Bartkowski in a trade for Jarome Iginla, so they scratched Bartkowski that night. Iginla vetoed the trade because he felt he had a better chance of winning the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh.

Bruins fans can't wait to root against Iginla when the Bruins open the Eastern Conference finals Saturday night in Pittsburgh. Goucher and Bob Beers will describe the conference finals on the Sports Hub, 98.5 FM.

Plenty of Bruins and Red Sox stars got their starts in Providence or Pawtucket, but the pipeline of talent from Rhode Island to Boston doesn't end there. Goucher grew up in Pawtucket and worked the concession stand and pulled the tarp on the field during rain delays at McCoy Stadium for the PawSox his senior year of high school. He called minor league hockey for two years in Wheeling, W. Va., then five in Providence before becoming radio play-by-play voice of the NHL's Bruins 13 years ago.

Mike Gorman, Celtics play-by-play voice on CSNNE, used to work in radio and television in Providence. Don Orsillo called PawSox games from 1997-2000 before becoming Red Sox play-by-play announcer on NESN. Bob Socci is scheduled to leave his position on Pawtucket Red Sox radio on July 1 to replace Gil Santos as radio voice of the Patriots.

“It's amazing that such a pipeline has existed,” Goucher said, “from people who have worked in that small state and make the transition up (Interstate) 95. I think it's been great.”

Jaromir Jagr, whom the Bruins acquired after the Iginla deal fell apart, has yet to score a goal in the postseason. Maybe playing against Pittsburgh, where he had his best years, will end his funk.

“If he's going to be double-teamed,” Goucher said, “that means somebody's open and you'd like to see him use his linemates a little bit more. You have to hope that at some point the production starts to increase. I guess the good part for the Bruins is here they are in the conference finals, and they've got one goal from Seguin, and they've get to get a goal from Jagr, which points to the depth they've been able to put out there.”

The fourth line of Greg Campbell, Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille helped the Bruins overcome the scoring woes of Jagr and Seguin by pumping in 10 points against the Rangers.

“I've been doing the Bruins 13 years,” Goucher said, “and it's the best fourth line that they've had in my time.”

Contact Bill Doyle at wdoyle@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillDoyle15.

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